It Is Okay To Start Working Out In Your 20s

Although my mother was painfully aware of the fact that the ladies in my family grew up to be on the heavier side, she had still, tolerantly watched me live 25 years of what the ‘healthy snobs’ would term as a ‘sedentary life’. Worried about ‘Is moti se kaun shaadi karega?’, she decided to take matters into her own hands. In no time at all, she hired a personal trainer for me. So began my gradual but agonizing transition from a couch potato to a mildly active bean!

My new trainer looked like someone who’s just stepped out of a sports commercial! (Yes, I’m pretty sure I had a tiny girl crush on her) There she was, embarrassed to be found in the company of someone who did not even know what a sit-up was. I anxiously sat on an old unused yoga mat with my hands straight up in the air and waited for further instructions on my first workout session. There was no way she didn’t sense my awkwardness. But went ahead with beginning my session with a sigh and a stoic resolve, nonetheless.

It was then that I realized – for the first time in my life – about how it felt when my ‘always-at-rest’ flab was finally put to jiggle! To add to the humiliation, Benjamin, my useless pug, sat next to me and starting breaking wind right to my face. I had eight more to go! If you have ever stepped on dog poo and continued walking despite knowing it, you’d know exactly how I felt while accomplishing this task at hand! I was tired and on the verge of giving up, but my trainer saved me by praising my strength in a rather condescending tone. It made me flap my arms like a retarded pigeon. All I could think of was choking her with my bare hands as soon as I could get them to move again!

Pug Yoga

Determined to save the last dregs of my dignity I pushed through the rest of the session without uttering a single ‘Stop!’, ‘Enough!’ or ‘I can’t take this anymore’. Inside, I was slowly dying.

Overall, the workout was quite a tummy-churning and vomit-inducing one. Following this, I was put on a diet which killed any hope my taste buds had of relishing another pizza or a cake. Under the watchful eyes of my mother, my midnight trips to the fridge slowly became a thing of the past.

It’s been a month since then. Now, I regularly work out and follow my diet. I finally know what it feels like to be healthy! They say you feel lighter when you work out and now I can definitely say that it’s true. Why, my double chin has disappeared! I no more feel like I am carrying a donut stuck to the bottom of my face! My Siamese thighs have now parted ways and manage to remain at a safe, aesthetic distance from one another. Moreover, climbing four flights of stairs on my way to work does not reduce me to tears, sweat and a pile of shame anymore. The surplus of serotonin that my body has been releasing due to exercise helps when I have occasional bouts of self-doubts and despair.

Yoga Mat

So if you are like me, planning to quit after your first day, DO NOT! The sickening feeling in your gut will eventually stop nagging you to give up. A more sadistic pain shooting through parts of your body you never knew existed will replace it making you feel stronger by the day.

If this is not inspirational enough and you are still planning to quit after reading it, call your mother. Or call mine! The sheer terror that woman will induce in you will be enough to make you rush to the nearest gym or a yoga class! And after that, you will never want to turn back!

Picture Courtesy: Tumblr, Top Fitness Resources

About the author

A storyteller and a bibliophile at heart, Tanuja indulges in the paramount ecstasies of life; books, food, and people. (in that order) Recently trying to be healthy, Tanuja has discovered a new penchant for fitness and an interest in adventurous travels. To earn her daily (wheat) bread, Tanuja writes, edits and keeps on writing.